Wine Recommendation

CedarCreek Estate Winery

2005 Estate Select Syrah
(Okanagan Valley)

Already well regarded for its classy Pinot Noirs, CedarCreek establishes itself as a solid Syrah producer with this wine, its third vintage. The grapes come from a vineyard near Osoyoos - vineyards on the sun-drenched Osoyoos Lake Bench having emerged as the Okanagan’s answer to the Rhone.

Aged in French oak for 18 months, this deeply coloured wine has aromas of black cherries, spiced plums and raspberries, enhanced with a Rhone-like earthiness. With a bit of time in the glass, the wine develops attractive spicy delicatessen meat notes. These complex attributes carry through to the flavours. On the palate, the wine is sensual and savoury, with long ripe tannins and a peppery finish. The restrained alcohol (13.6%) contributes to the elegance of the wine. 90 points.

The winery has released 989 cases. It is anticipating such strong demand that the pre-release announcement to the customers at the front of the line (members of CedarCreek’s Platinum Cellar Club) are limited to a case each.

The Wine

The Reviewer

John Schreiner

John Schreiner has been covering the wines of British Columbia for the past 30 years and has written 10 books on the wines of Canada and BC. He has judged at major competitions and is currently a panel member for the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence in Wine. Both as a judge and as a wine critic, he approaches each wine not to find fault, but to find excellence. That he now finds the latter more often than the former testifies to the dramatic improvement shown by BC winemaking in the past decade.

The Wine

The Reviewer

John Schreiner

John Schreiner has been covering the wines of British Columbia for the past 30 years and has written 10 books on the wines of Canada and BC. He has judged at major competitions and is currently a panel member for the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence in Wine. Both as a judge and as a wine critic, he approaches each wine not to find fault, but to find excellence. That he now finds the latter more often than the former testifies to the dramatic improvement shown by BC winemaking in the past decade.